As the Trump administration pressures Apple into making the iPhone in America, Apple has felt pressured to move more iPhone production out of China and into India. Reuters reports that a new iPhone assembly plant has come online, and a second location is expected to go live in a matter of days.
The first location is a Tata Electronics iPhone factory in Hosur that’s tasked with assembling previous generation iPhone models:
A new Tata Electronics plant in Hosur in south India’s Tamil Nadu state started operations in recent days to make older iPhone models on one assembly line, one source said.
Another $2.6 billion plant run by Taiwan’s Foxconn (2317.TW) that is under construction in Bengaluru, Karnataka state, will also start initial operations with one assembly line within days, according to four sources, including one government official.
Reuters adds that the second factory is a Foxconn facility that’s expected to be able to produce 300-500 iPhones per hour. iPhone 16 and iPhone 16e models are expected to be assembled at this location.
From a jobs standpoint, the Foxconn plant in India is expected to employ 50,000 people in various capacities by the end of 2027. The plant is part of a $2.6 billion investment in Bengaluru. Apple’s $500 billion investment in America across four years is said to create 20,000 jobs.
Apple reportedly wants to move most U.S.-sold iPhone production out of China and into India by the end of next year. The company currently has exemptions from Trump tariffs on imports from China, but those are expected to be temporary.
If you ask the Trump administration, however, Apple actually wants to make the iPhone in America as soon as they can find the right robotic arms.
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